Now I’m not supposed to do what I do best: nag my kids about eating… or not eating.

A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association says that your kids will enjoy mealtime more if you get off their backs. That means: don’t tell them to eat their broccoli… quit filling up on bread… and one slice of pie is enough.

Harping about food is my God given right and totally in my job description and now they are telling me that this will lead to eating disorders? If we have the good fortune to sit down and have a meal with our children, that’s the perfect opportunity to teach them not only what to eat, but how to eat.

Regardless of a child’s weight, the study found a correlation between mothers pressuring their children to eat healthy food and their children’s degree of fussiness over food. And if the parents restricted the children’s food, the kids were more likely to overindulge.

I’m not talking about parents who deny food to their painfully thin daughters in the name of this country’s idea of beauty or mothers who heap food on their kid’s plates to show them their love… and I don’t think the study was talking about that either.

I think it is my parental duty to give my child guidance on how much to eat (now deemed portion control) and what to eat (more fruits and vegetables, less fat). I don’t believe in making my kids clean their plates, particularly if they have tried everything they have been served.

I believe in being a parent… and using your best judgment is part of the job description.

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